It’s not just a child’s play; it is also part of fitness and one of those exercises that can trigger many muscle groups all at once. It is a great worming up-“fire starter” and an effective calorie burner.

Rope jumping is a workout that wants practice in order to be efficient. Take a simple rope, preferably thicker in thread; hold both ends on each side and spin it around your body. Jump when the rope wants to “hit” your feet and then continue spinning. The goal is to make rhythmic jumps every time the rope passes underneath your feet.

You are bound to miss a jump while adapting to a jumping rhythm and experience hitting your legs or behind with the rope. Those slightly painful mistakes “go with the territory”. Just swallow the pain and try again. The more attempts you make for longer jumps, the better you overcome the rhythm. Many muscle groups work together while jumping; Leg muscles (thighs, calves and knees), Arms (forearms, biceps and triceps), and shoulders.

Rope jumping:

Start jumping with 3 sets of 10 to 15 jumps per set and work your way up. As soon as you get bored with counting how much jumps you’ve made, time the sets. Start with 3 sets: 30 seconds the first set, 45 seconds the second set, and 1 minute the third set. When you overcome the jumping time, increase it by 15 more seconds per set.
There are few types of fitness jumping ropes you can choose from.

Beaded rope – made of inner nylon cord covered with plastic. They are excellent for rough surfaces; good for learning the rhythm since it makes a great sound when it hits the ground, and it doesn’t tangle (very important in rope jumping).

Speed rope – made of thin vinyl cord; lighter and faster, but can tangle easily.

Leather Rope – with a thicker cord and heavier then the speed rope. It doesn’t tangles a lot and makes less noise when hitting the ground; mostly recognized by its wooden handles.

Cloth Jump Rope – doesn’t bounce at all from the surface. Its only drawback is that it gets dirty easily.